First Elev8 Health Center In Oakland Opens

In January, the Elev8 School-Based Health Center officially opened at Madison Middle School in Oakland, California—the first of five medical centers planned for middle schools in the city. Oakland Mayor Jean Quan joined a crowd of 300 for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

Principals Ms. Elia Bustamante, Dr. Lucinda Taylor and Ms. Teresa Clincy welcome the groundbreaking on behalf of their schools, United for Success, Madison, and Roosevelt.

Administrators at Madison say approximately 90 percent of the 326 students who attend the school have no private health insurance. To address their healthcare needs, nurses, a dentist and a doctor will be on call, offering medical care, mental healthcare, nutritional education, and family planning and reproductive health advice. The clinic will be open to students at Madison and their families, as well as those attending the school's feeder campuses.

The clinic represents a major step forward toward the goal of the Elev8 initiative—to help students and families from underserved communities succeed by bringing integrated services and support systems into schools.